The Phillies can win the series today if they can get past Josh Beckett who has looked like the Beckett of old this year. AJ Burnett hasn’t been bad either, but he’ll have to cut down on the walks against a team that can punish you if you give them free outs.

Also, keep an eye on Ryan Howard. His average is down to .228 and is 2 for his last 27. Cody Asche is day to day with a sore hammy.

We feel dirty all over when we root for an opposing pitcher to get those final three outs but how the hell can we help ourselves? There’s nothing more exciting to an authentic fan, no matter who’s pitcher is tossing a no-hitter – and the tension is almost unbearable. How can any fan not give a standing “O” for that performance no matter his or her team allegiances?

I mean, do we always have to wait until a stand-out opposing player retires before we recognize his accomplishments with a retrospective celebration in our home park? When I think back on all the times I hated to see players like May, Musial, Aaron, Clemente, Gibson, Koufax etc do incredible things at the expense of my Phillies, I realize (too late) that I never allowed myself to enjoy watching great talent that I’d soon enough never have a chance to see play, again. And tha’s somethingt I will forever regret.

I hate to say it(and call me a traitor if you will) but witnessing Beckett’s performance was worth the home team’s loss. Now if the Phillies begin to find themselves in this predicament on a regular basis, the no-no’s may start to lose their luster.

Make Gillick Interim GM. I trust him to make the necessary moves to start a rebuild. Then, in the off-season, poach someone from the Cardinals organization to be the next GM. Someone with a clue. Someone with a vision. Someone with a plan.

Sam Hinkie.
And I’m serious. Even if he knows little about baseball he understands the principle and is a serious metrics guy. Math is math.

He would simply dump the big salaries while minimizing the damage as he did when he bought the Pacers’ cheaper trash in order to get rid of the Sixers’ expensive trash – then trashed the trash and took the lesser hit..

So you outright or trade Howard and eat $15-20 mil per year on his remaining contract. Maybe some team in need of a left-handed power hitter on his last millimeter of tread will give up a mid-round future draft prospect for the favor.

Trade Lee to a desperate contender who will be very happy to pay the rest of his salary and offer a high-rated prospect or two in return for a shot at a pennant this year.

Do the same with Papelbon while he’s still racking up saves. The Phils should try to land some promising kids in return for his services even if they have to eat his entire salary..

And if there’s any interest in Brown, Asche or Revere, I’d seriously listen – again, even for high prospects in return.

Jimmy and Chase are going nowhere and that’s fine. They’ve remained irreplaceable and they’ll probably retire as Philadelphia Phillies. I wish Howard could have done the same but he’s become too much of a financial liability versus his contribution to the team. I’m sure he’ll still have his positive moments but on balance I still can’t see him ever returning to even a shadow of his old form.

Okay – I was only half serious about hiring Hinkie (unless he wants to moonlight).
But I was totally serious about dumping everyone who is dumpable in return for as many decent prospects as they can finagle out of other teams.

Yeah, the Phillies are going to stink even worse for a few years but the farm system will begin to heal and the space under the cap will widen so when the time comes, they’ll have some home-grown talent to mix with a couple of prize FA stars without having to follow the Yankees into luxury tax Hell.

It doesn’t necessarily work this way, but if you put Kershaw and Greinke with a healthy Becket and Ryu in a playoff rotation…use your imagination. Maybe even with the Dodger defense, though that remains to be seen.

It’s wise to be a little wary of a free agent starting out as Raul Ibanez did for the Phillies back in ’09. You’ll recall his first half of that year was an offensive scorcher. Even if you ink a guy for just 1 year, your projections are for that, not just the first 50 games.

But that said, especially realizing that Nelson Cruz wound up signing for just over half of what he turned down in a QO from Texas, it’s a shame that his candidacy to join the Phils, as got at least some off season mention didn’t work out. Between his coming off the PEDs and not considered a stalwart defender, you could see where he wasn’t an overwhelmingly appealing candidate, but he continued his hot season with number 16 today. And he’s made the plays he’s supposed to in the 2/3 of the games he’s played between left and right. The other possible fly in the ointment was affordability. Another Byrd like contract might have pushed them into lux tax mode. Maybe you sign someone other than Burnett, for less than 16 mil, but he’s done a pretty good job so far.

Not that the Phils problems are zeroed out with his righty bat in the lineup, but clearly his year to date in either left or right would translate to a more productive offense. Cruz and Byrd would give the Phils a representative major league outfield. Suffice to say they aren’t getting that in the entire outfield.

but he’s been Delmon-esque in the outfield and one of the worst-fielding outfielders in baseball so far

Bullbleep. No, he’s not been a Gold Clove candidate, but he’s making the plays he’s supposed to. His defense is HISTORICALLY subject to laughter, but the way he’s hit so far, which is essentially what I commented on, it did, and remains a shame it wasn’t in the cards for him to play here.

I suspect, based on comfort in the O’s environment, and incentive of resentment over difficulty finding a job, he parlays those n into a consistent year. Now if he does get a nice multi-year deal for next year, at age 34, he MIGHT continue well, but the buyer is taking an above average chance.

I don’t think the Cardinals would want to part with Taveras unless they’re wary about his long-term durability after his year-plus long leg issues.

But Utley would certainly be a great piece for the Cards if they’re in the pennant race this year. Certainly better than Wong and his anemic-hitting back-ups.

If they thought the addition of Utley could buy them another trip to the Series this year, well, then maybe they’d consider sacrificing a gimpy but promising 21-year-old outfielder for a gimpy 35-year-old 2nd baseman. It’s certainly not a crazy idea for either team but you’ll have to call Mozeliak since Ruben is currently frozen in place.

Hogey – re: “The cardinals would never make a trade like that, not in a million years.”

I disagree. Taveras will be 1,000,021-years-old in a million years and he already has a chronic ankle problem.

It might take 500,000 of those years for the Cards consider trading Taveras and they’ll probably demand cash thrown in – but that’s fine since it will be just in time for the Phillies to finally part with Howard’s contract.

People think talent (largely) overrides luck as a factor in how a ball club often does.

Wrong again, masses.

It’s all about fate.

Fate, I tell ya, rules all.

And based on the fate factor, it will shock you to know who will pitch a no-hitter for the Fabulous Phillies. And no more distant than tonight. Yep, tonight, tonight won’t be just any night.

See, a way back in 1969, the Reds and Stros were mixing it up in a series, and Jim Maloney threw a no-no against the then, now, and perhaps always Disastros. Not to be outdone, the Reds slowed their bat to the same no hit pace the next night against Don Wilson, who, if not for Nolan Ryan, Mike Scott, and a cast of thousands might be the best pitcher in Houston history. .

Of course the chances of 2 no hitters in a row would be enhanced if the Dodgers were still in town, but they’ve received their dose of medicine, and now it’s Colorado’s turn to get some remedy. The Rox overall are playing like they don’t need a remedy, but any road game is a remedy necessity for them.

So tonight, some 45 years after it happened, fate is expected to rear it’s head once again and render it’s overdue rarity in this direction.

Now that you’re convinced of the likelihood of this happening, you can wake up and realize that the ever popular Kyle Kendrick is who this fate has on its side. Kendrick V Tulo. Kendrick V Cargo. I know of some swamp land in Florida…….

A lot of modern day baseball thinking lended toward letting Kendrick pitch through that inning, but depending on the rest situation and depth available, I doubt I’d have let KK pitch to Morneau.

He’s been playing with fire most of the day. You’d think he’d have settled in by now if he was going to, but if they now can get 1 more inning out of him, and go out with a flourish, he’ll have earned his pay. And he’ll face low in the lineup.